A Hummingbird's Heart
by ImThatTypeOfGirl
Summary: Making music...now that was something the Winter Spirit wanted to try. And who better to teach him than the Tooth Fairy? Oneshot, JackxTooth: Frostbite, Fairyfrost, Rainbow Snowcone.


**A/N: Geez, I swear RotG fanfics just sneak up on me out of nowhere when I'm writing something else. Seriously, I can be watching TV or typing up another of my stories and they just surprise me with bursts of inspiration that I have to jot down immediately x So here's a JackxTooth fic that crept up on me while I was in the middle of watching The White Queen, and I had to post it because I haven't written anything in ages :) Please leave a review to let me know what you think xx**

**Disclaimer: Rise of the Guardians is not mine, or I would be making more of the damned movies instead of writing fanfics about their characters that I don't own. **

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**A Hummingbird's Heart**

His fingers brushed against the strings and a soft chord danced through the air, the metal of the strands echoing the sound throughout the hollow frame. He'd never held a guitar before; it felt strange and bulky, but sat perfectly in the curve of his body. He liked the subtle smell of the wood, the just-smoothed edges of the neck. When his hands touched the strings something incredible came from them, something warm and beautiful and bright.

"You like, no?" North's voice broke the still, so loud it actually made him jump. He'd quite forgotten the big Russian man was there.

"Yeah," Jack answered, smiling. "I love it."

"Good, good!" North laughed, unfolding his arms and spreading them wide. "I am glad, I worked very hard."

"You didn't have to," the white-haired boy said, running his hands across the body of the guitar.

"Of course I did!" North raised an eyebrow and grinned. "It is Christmas, Jack! Everyone gets gift!"

Jack smiled again, and plucked another string. A gentle note hung in the air for a moment before fading into oblivion, lost in the silence that now engulfed the room. He looked down at the instrument in his arms, the bow of the wood, the slender neck. He wished so that he could play it - properly, not just strum some meaningless notes. Maybe North could teach him? No, the Russian was far too busy for that kind of thing - and he might not even know how.

"Do you know anyone who plays guitar?" Jack asked, looking up.

North frowned. "Few, yes. You want tutor?"

The Winter Spirit nodded energetically. "Yeah, I do."

"In fact – " a wide grin spread across North's face " – I think Toothiana plays."

Jack was surprised. "_Toothiana_? She can play guitar?"

North nodded. "Yes. I find her for you?"

"No, no," Jack shook his head. "I can ask her myself. Thanks."

"No problem," the Russian laughed, backing out of his workshop. "I see you soon, I hope?"

Jack nodded, smiling. "Yeah, definitely. Merry Christmas, North."

"Merry Christmas, Jack Frost."

The slammed shut and the silence returned, thick and heavy. Jack sighed and lifted the guitar off of his lap, resting it gently on the floorboards before picking up his staff. Immediately his skin recognised the familiar feel of the wood, the comfortable dip in the middle where his hands had worn it smooth over the years. His eyes flickered momentarily around the interior of North's workshop, to the half-crafted toys sitting on the main table, to the finished littering the shelves. They were of excellent make, excellent quality, but nowhere near as beautiful as the instrument sitting to his left. If only he could make it sing, it would be even more stunning than it was now.

Getting to his feet, Jack pried open the window and then turned to grab the guitar from where it lay on the floor. With it in his left hand and his staff in the right, he jumped onto the edge of the wood and then threw himself out into the icy northern wind. It recognised him immediately and swept him up into the sky, curling underneath his body and lifting him high. Jack couldn't catch the carefree chuckle that managed to escape his lips, and soon he was full out laughing amidst the pastel blue of the midday sky.

"Toothiana's palace," he murmured under his breath. The wind swirled around him, tugging at his clothes and pulling on his arms. Laughing harder now, he grinned and let himself drop into the current, let himself flow with the wind.

0O0

"It's called a G-sharp," Toothiana smiled, her petite hands wrapped around his slightly longer – and a lot colder – ashen ones. "This finger goes here, and this one…yes! That's it, well done Jack, you've got it!"

"Really?" he asked, his amazing blue eyes meeting her own vibrant purple ones for a split second.

"Yes," she blushed, ducking his gaze. "That's right."

He'd turned up out of nowhere on her doorstep as the sun had begun to set. Her Baby Teeth had just disappeared into the dusk and left her here, as the shadows crept up the balustrades and under the doors. Sometimes they scared her, reminded her far too much of Pitch Black and the Nightmares. But, as she plucked up enough courage to look Jack in the eye again, at least tonight she wouldn't be facing them alone.

It was sweet he wanted to learn guitar, especially since North had made him his own. Maybe that was the reason? She vowed to ask him, when they stopped for a rest. Would he stay here tonight? He hadn't before. Oh! She could show him how she stored the teeth and –

"Tooth? I think I've got it, thanks."

She snapped back to the present, and very suddenly realised she hadn't let go of his hands after positioning them for the chord. Blushing furiously she snatched her fingers away and jumped to her feet, very quickly taking flight soon after.

"Right, yes, I – yes, that's good, well done!" she blurted, darting nervously back and forth. "Well, I'll just leave you to practise I guess, and I'll go make some tea. Would you like some? Tea, I mean."

"Love some," Jack smiled, flashing his pearly whites.

Before she could embarrass herself further, Tooth fled the room, her hummingbird heart fluttering around inside her chest faster than the wings on her back. Oh, how silly she must seem! She scolded herself under her breath as she darted through her palace, the thoughts in her mind running wild. She needed to get her head straight and concentrate. He was here to learn guitar! She had to remember that.

On return with the cups of tea in her hands, she paused a moment on the way back to the spare room where Jack was practising. Finding a balcony near her destination, she placed the mugs on the balustrade and leant against it to the right. Night was riding in fast; the sun had slipped beneath the clouds, fallen from amidst their soft embrace. Darkness seeped through the sky, casting long shadows across her palace, dulling the vibrant colours in which it had been painted. Toothiana found herself shivering, her hands going to her arms to try and rub some warm back into them. Even her layer of feathers could not keep out the cold of the night.

"Got lost?"

She leapt in fright at the sound of his voice, the mocking in his velvety tones. She blushed when she realised how she had reacted, and turned to face him.

"Jack! I didn't see you there," she said, smiling sheepishly. "I'm sorry, how long have I kept you waiting? I didn't mean to take so long!"

He grinned, coming to stand beside her. "Nah, don't worry about it. Mastered the G-sharp I think, though. You were away quite a while, Tooth. What's up?"

She turned back to the balustrade and rested her hands upon it once more. Shrugging, she answered, "Nothing really, I'm just tired, I guess."

Jack titled his head, frowning, and she blushed to seem him look to adorably curious. He moved a step closer to her, his staff slung casually over his shoulder. His right hand held it in place, while his left was buried in his jumper pocket. He grinned mischievously when he saw her watching him and she glanced away hurriedly, flushing red. Hoping to start a conversation, Toothiana rubbed her hands together to keep warm and picked up the topic of his new guitar.

"So did you want to learn guitar because North made you one?" she asked, trying to keep her teeth from chattering together.

"Um, yeah, that's right," he nodded in response. His eyes found the cups of tea and he pointed to them, eyebrow quirked questioningly. "Were these for us?"

"Oh, yes!" Tooth jumped, suddenly remembering the mugs next to her. Those would certainly warm her up a bit! "Go ahead, take one."

Jack grabbed a handle and took a big glug, then immediately spat it out in a shower over the side of the balcony. He staggered back, coughing and spluttering, and wiped his mouth on his sleeve. Picking up her own cup, Tooth frowned.

"What's wrong?" she asked, worried. "Does it taste bad?"

"No, no," he laughed, returning to her side. "It's stone cold!"

"Oh, gosh, I'm sorry!" she tried to apologise quickly, the words falling over each other. Now she was thinking about it, she couldn't feel the warmth she had expected from the mug between her frozen fingers. "I should have gone straight to you, I'm sorry, I honestly didn't mean for this to ha – "

"Hey, it doesn't matter," he smiled, settling a hand on her arm. "No big deal, okay?"

She nodded, acutely aware of the slighter colder presence upon her forearm. "Okay," she whispered, desperately hoping the shatter of her teeth was not audible in her voice. If it was, Jack might think he was the cause, and take his arm away. And she wanted it to stay there, just a little longer. The moment quickly passed and he uncurled his fingers from her skin, grinning.

"So when do I get to learn songs?" he asked, hand twisting around the wood of his staff.

"Oh, well, I, uh…" Tooth trailed off, embarrassed.

"What?" he asked, curious. "C'mon, tell me."

Her eyes found her frozen fingers. "I don't actually know any songs yet," she squeaked, avoiding his amazing blue gaze. But it didn't take long for him to get her attention, and her head snapped up in disbelief when she heard him laughing.

"What's so funny?" she demanded, a little hurt by his reaction.

"You've been on this earth for over a thousand years," the Winter Spirit chuckled. "And you don't know a_ single_ song?"

"Well," Tooth huffed. "I've been very busy with the teeth, you know."

Jack looked about him, eyebrows raised. "Uh-huh, yeah, _really_ busy."

"Hey!" she protested, shoving him gently in the arm. "Don't be like that! Let's go then, I'm sure I can manage to play _something_…"

Jack grinned. "Looking forward to it."

0O0

Moonlight spilled in through the window like water, swathing the bedcovers where they sat in a silvery glow. In the shadows of the night, the room looked dark and lonely, the sole bed being the only piece of furniture in sight. It may have looked desolate, but the sound that came from within was far more incredible than it ever could have hoped to contain. Very soft, very gentle notes danced in the air, escaping out of the window to sing amongst the stars. The melody slipped out under the door, ghosting down the deserted hallways and out into the night.

Jack's fingers glided across the strings of the guitar like swans across a lake, and the tune that came from them was as equally as elegant and beautiful. Toothiana was curled up on the bed beside him, hands wrapped around her knees, violet eyes wide with wonder. Jack was sitting to her left, legs swung down the side of the bed, guitar perched on his lap.

_God, he was beautiful_. Tooth couldn't help it; the thought crossed her mind before she had time to catch it. But she didn't regret it, not one bit, not when he couldn't hear her. She studied his skin in the moonlight, his long fingers across the strings of the instrument, his face soft with contentment. She didn't even have to teach him a song; as soon as they had re-entered the room and he'd picked up the guitar, well…_this_ had happened. He was a natural.

She closed her eyes and savoured the final few bars of the melody, opening them again when the last note fell silent. She was met with the blue-eyed gaze of the guitarist, and he was looking at her worriedly.

"How did I do?" he asked, biting his bottom lip.

"That was wonderful, Jack," she smiled, a reassuring hand going out to rest upon his wrist. "Honestly, I don't think I've ever heard anything so beautiful in my life. The way it picked up in the middle, and the odd, jerky strumming shouldn't have worked but it just _did_. Then the mellow bit, and the soft section near the beginning…it was stunning to listen to, Jack. You made that up?"

He nodded, face relaxing at her praise. "I just picked up the guitar and I…I knew what to play."

"And what _were_ you playing?" she asked. "Does it have a name?"

He smiled, very gently. "Yeah, it does."

She nodded encouragingly. "What's it called?"

"_To Hear a Hummingbird's Heart_," he answered, his voice dropping to a whisper. There was a moment of silence, where Toothiana didn't respond – _couldn't_ respond, let alone breathe. Was he talking about her? Was that beautiful melody…written for_ her_? Before she could speak he'd set aside the guitar and leaned across, taken her neck in his hands and pressed his lips to hers. It took only a shocked few seconds for her to return the affection, her own petite fingers snaking up the front of his jumped to the find the twist of hair at nape of his neck.

And when the two Immortals left the room that night you would swear you could still hear the breath-taking melody Jack Frost had been playing, the entrancing sound of the strings ringing in the air. If you'd been listening very closely, you might have been able to catch laughing upon the wind, hear the thrumming sound of a heartbeat in the very walls around you. In the silence there was the whirring of wings, the ruffling of feathers in the still. Moonlight still spilled in through the open window, but if you were watching it particularly carefully you'd swear it was glowing just a little brighter than before.


End file.
